


Beneath the Stars

by worthmorethanrubies25



Series: Forever and Always [4]
Category: Trolls (Movies 2016 2020), Trolls: The Beat Goes On (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eggs? What eggs?, F/M, Fluff, Foot Massage, Grey(ish) Branch, Married Couple, Pre-Movies, Pregnancy, Romance, Trolls don’t come from eggs in this, Walks In The Woods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28767135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/worthmorethanrubies25/pseuds/worthmorethanrubies25
Summary: A fluffy, romantic rewrite of “Creek’s Perspective” from the viewpoint of Branch and Poppy.
Relationships: Branch/Queen Poppy (Trolls)
Series: Forever and Always [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979968
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	Beneath the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> So, I decided to just go ahead and write “Creek’s Perspective” from Branch and Poppy’s point of view. And I got it done in time for my birthday! YAY!!!
> 
> Disclaimer: I DO NOT own “Trolls.”

Branch and Poppy were on their way home on a warm spring evening. Poppy was chatting away about various holidays coming up (most of them unnecessary, in Branch’s opinion) and what she had planned for each one. Branch had only paid attention long enough to ensure that his four-week-pregnant wife would not be participating in Catch Your Friend Day, then he became distracted by her dress.

The last time she wore the ultramarine maxi dress had been at their baby shower the week before. It was a cozy little get-together at her dad’s pod with no music or dancing, and everyone surprisingly enjoyed themselves. After the two of them got back to their bunker, they had their own cozy little celebration...

It took Branch a few seconds to realize that Poppy had stopped talking and saw him drooling over her. He turned away to hide his blush.

“Branchopher, this is the seventh time today I caught you ogling my outfit,” she ribbed good-naturedly.

Branch scowled at her. “Honestly, Poppy, did you have to wear **_that_** dress?”

Poppy shrugged nonchalantly and gestured to said dress.

“Hardly any of my other outfits fit me anymore; Satin and Chenille are almost done with my new maternity wardrobe.” She frowned. “Why? What’s wrong with it?”

Branch’s eyes widened and his face and ears turned purple. “Nothing, nothing! It-it-it just reminds me of,” he gulped, blushing darker, “of the last time you wore it.”

Poppy couldn’t contain a grin at how adorable her husband was when he was flustered. She had counted on Branch remembering what happened the last time she was in this dress; it was the real reason why she chose to put it on today. She didn’t know if it was because she and Branch were still relatively newly married, or if it was her pregnancy hormones, or both, but what she **_did_** know was that she was pretty much insatiable and pounced on her husband nearly every chance she got.

She stumbled a little, grimacing. _**Darn these sore, puffy feet!**_

“You okay?” Branch asked in concern.

“Yeah, my feet just hurt, that’s all.”

Branch smirked. “Well, you **_are_** pregnant, add that to the irrational amount of dancing you do-“

“Oh, shut up,” Poppy laughed, smacking his arm.

With a sweet smile, Branch took her hand in his and guided her to sit on an exposed tree root.

“Allow me,” he murmured, kneeling down in front of her.

Poppy bit her lip and caressed her baby bump as Branch lifted the layers of her gossamer skirts past her knees. She let out a pleased hum as he began to massage one of her swollen feet.

“Hmm, this takes me back,” Poppy mused.

Branch gave her a questioning look.

“That day when we were kids, I kicked the bully that was picking on you and twisted my ankle.”

Branch shook his head, chuckling. “I still can’t believe you remember that.”

“Of course I do,” Poppy replied, “I had a crush on you even before that, but you carrying me to the hospital pod sorta cemented those feelings.”

Branch hummed thoughtfully.

“Did you think back then that we would end up like this?” Poppy asked softly.

His fingers slowed. “Well...yes and no,” he answered honestly.

“What do you mean?”

“I...uh...it’s kinda hard to explain.”

At the sight of his wife’s inquiring gaze, he sighed.

“I guess...even though I’ve always loved you, I...I never really thought I deserved to have you in my life at all...much less like... ** _this_**.”

Poppy’s heart twisted at his melancholy tone. She reached down to comb her fingers through his hair and toy with his marriage braid.

“Oh, my sweet Br-“ her breath caught as her husband’s calloused hands slid higher to knead her calf. He was clearly over his sadness spell, judging from his cheeky grin. Poppy gripped at the moss that grew along the tree root, forcing down the urge to tackle him to the ground.

She tilted her head back and sighed as Branch massaged her other foot and leg. _**Oh, Heaven...**_

Opening her eyes, she noticed that the sun was almost gone, and a lot of stars had come out. A gentle spring breeze tugged at her hair, and she was hit with a realization. She and Branch had had lots of dates beneath the stars, and they married under them, too. But they had yet to be intimate with only the grass as their bed and the night sky as their ceiling. The idea sent a thrill through her body, and she wondered just how she could convince Branch to agree to it.

Her thought was abruptly cut off and she gasped.

“Branch!” She grabbed his hands and pressed them to her belly.

He paused, then his jaw fell when he felt a faint, rhythmic thumping underneath his palms.

“Is that...” he trailed off.

“The baby’s heartbeat,” Poppy finished.

Branch felt the air rush out of his body in a breathless laugh; he scooted closer between her legs and she lightly nuzzled her forehead against his.

“I love you,” he breathed, eyes closed.

Poppy fell a little more in love with him with those words, knowing they were meant for their child this time.

They stayed like that for several moments, just feeling the Trolling’s tiny heartbeat. Branch’s eyes opened and his fingers brushed against his wife’s cheek to tuck her marriage braid behind her ear. As he lightly caressed her lips with his thumb, she leaned into his hand and closed her eyes. His other arm slid around her waist to hold her against him. Poppy’s eyes fluttered open to look into her husband’s gorgeous blue orbs and smiled.

Princess Poppy might be considered the happiest Troll in existence, but Branch could see she was becoming more genuinely, radiantly joyful each day. And knowing **_he_** was the cause of that joy made his heart swell with love for her.

Branch was the one that closed the distance and pressed his lips to hers; she eagerly kissed him back and buried her hands in his hair. Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to convince him to stay the night out here, with the way he was kissing her right now. Even when Branch separated his lips from hers, she continued to kiss along his jawline in a way that openly displayed what she wanted.

Branch responded by leaning out of her reach, much to her annoyance.

“Hey, wh-“

“Shh,” Branch silenced her with a finger to her lips, looking around suspiciously.

Poppy didn’t see or hear anything, but an eerie feeling suddenly crept over her, like they were being watched by a deadly predator. She instinctively wrapped her arms protectively around her baby bump as Branch scanned their surroundings, ears twitching.

“We should head back home,” he whispered.

Poppy nodded mutely. Branch, noticing how tense his wife had become, gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile before standing.

“I just thought I heard something,” he said, offering his hands to help her to her feet.

Poppy smiled weakly, allowing Branch to pull her up.

As they started in the direction of their bunker, unpleasant goosebumps rose on Poppy’s skin. She could almost **_feel_** the predator’s gaze slowly raking over her body, almost **_hear_** it licking its lips, no doubt wondering how good she would taste.

She shivered and rubbed her bare arms. Branch’s strong arm gently encircled her shoulders.

“Are you alright?”

“Uh-huh,” Poppy said, cursing the waver in her voice.

Branch frowned. He didn’t mean to upset her, especially since she was in a fragile condition. He just wanted his wife and baby to be safe, and her being distressed wouldn’t be good for either of them. Hugging her tighter, he tenderly pressed a sweet kiss to her temple.

“Since when do you get anxious?” he teased, trying to lighten her mood.

Poppy paused at that, then laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. Branch was right: he was usually the one worrying about one thing or another and she was usually the one trying to cheer him up.

“I know, right? Did we magically switch personalities or something?” She giggled again as her arms cradled her belly. “Or maybe it’s these pregnancy hormones; one minute I want to seduce my husband, and the next I’m getting freaked out over nothing.”

“You want to seduce me?” Branch asked in a suggestive tone.

Poppy flirtatiously batted her lashes at him.

“Well...I was hoping that we could camp out beneath the stars toni-“

“Yeah, no,” Branch interrupted. “Too risky.”

**_Way_** too risky. Even if he didn’t hear anything, not only was there the threat of Bergens, but there were also nocturnal animals and the villagers.

Oh, hair, if any of the villagers caught them doing **_that_** out in the open, Branch would be mortified to the point of death.

“Okay,” Poppy agreed, “how about another night?”

“Nope.”

When Poppy pouted, Branch thought of a compromise.

“What if I paint the night sky on our bedroom ceiling?”

Alright, she had to admit that sounded incredibly romantic.

“I just might take you up on that,” Poppy said smiling.

“I’ll get started on it tomorrow,” Branch replied, bending over to scoop her up in his arms to carry her the rest of the way to the bunker. “But **_tonight_** , I’d like to take advantage of you in that beautiful dress.”

**Author's Note:**

> I headcanon that Poppy would be the type of woman who can’t get enough of her husband when she’s preggers, especially considering they’ve only been married for four weeks. Not that Branch needs a lot of encouragement, but it’s more fun for Poppy to tease him.
> 
> I know both characters got a little OOC, so I used Poppy’s mood swings and Branch’s concern for her and their unborn child as a way to explain why they got that way. (No, they did not touch the Switcher-Ruby.)
> 
> There actually is a deadly predator watching them; it’s commonly known as Creek.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated by this author. :-)


End file.
